The Soul's Anchor

This is a wonderful and comforting analogy I read in Walter Marshall's book "The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification"

Hebrews 6:19 "We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf.."

"In ancient days sailing vessels at times could not get close enough to shore to dock. So while the ship waited off shore the crew would place the ship's anchor in a small boat called the forerunner, bring it to the shore, and tie up the small boat at the place where the sailing vessel was supposed to dock. When the weather conditions permitted, the crew would pull in that anchor chain and slowly draw the ship into shore."

"Jesus is our anchor. Jesus is also our forerunner. He is in heaven, the safe haven. But we are connected to Him by a bond that no storm can ever snap. One day His almighty hands will pull us to safety, where He is."

John 14:3 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also."

Gethsemane

Luke 22:44:

"And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground."

Behold your King! Though the moonlight steals

Through the silvery sprays of the olive tree

No star-gemmed scepter or crown it reveals,

In the solemn shade of Gethsemane.

Only a form of prostrate grief,

Fallen, crushed, like a broken leaf!

Oh, think of His sorrow, that we may know

The depth of love in the depth of woe!

Behold, your King, with sorrow crowned,

Alone, alone in the valley is He!

The shadows of death are gathering round,

And the cross must follow Gethsemane.

Darker and darker the gloom must fall,

Filled is the cup, He must drink it all!

Oh, think of His sorrow, that we may know,

His wondrous love in His wondrous woe!

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

In Christ

In Christ:

Every Spiritual Blessing is mine/ours: Eph1:3

I /we are Chosen by God to be Holy & Blameless Before Him: Eph 1:4

I am/we are Predestined for Adoption through Christ: Eph 1:5

I/we have Redemption: Eph 1:7

I/we know the Mystery of His will: Eph 1:9

I/ we have Obtained an inheritance: Eph 1:11

I/we have Hope: Eph 1:12

I/we have Heard the Word of truth & received the Holy Spirit: Eph 1:13

I/we have been Glorified because Jesus is glorified Romans 8:17

"Union with Christ is all embracing because it encompasses all divine blessing in Christ... Christ gives us Himself. He is our wisdom, He is our strength, He is our compassion, He is our sanctification. The secret to the Christian life is to more intimately know the Christ to whom the believer is bound forever. If you are a believer Christ is in you, and you are in Him; forever."

In Christ is where all my/our hope is found!

Sanctification by grace

This first thing to remember, of course, is that we must never separate the benefits (regeneration, justification, sanctification) from the Benefactor (Jesus Christ). The Christians who are most focused on their own spirituality may give the impression of being the most spiritual ... but from the New Testament's point of view, those who have almost forgotten about their own spirtuality because their focus is so exclusively on their union with Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished are those who are growing and exhibiting fruitfulness. Historically speaking, whenever the piety of a particular group is focused on OUR spirituality that piety will eventually exhaust itself on its own resources. Only where our piety forgets about ourself and focuses on Jesus Christ will our piety nourished by the ongoing resources the Spirit brings to us from the source of all true piety, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Sinclair Ferguson

My Jesus

Christ is:

My life: Colossians 3:3
"For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God."

My righteousness: 2 Corinthians 5:21
"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

My sanctification: 1 Corinthians 6:11
"And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

My redemption: Ephesians 1:7
"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,"

My friend: John 15:15
"No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you."

My brother: Hebrews 2:10-11
"For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,"

Christ is my All in All

No Condemnation

Romans 8:1
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus"

the Power of the Gospel

"The gospel not only ignites the Christian life, but is the fuel that keeps Christians going and growing everyday." tullian tchividjian

Ignites: Saving Grace

Eph. 2:4-5

"4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved"

Going: Sustaining Grace

2 Timothy 2:1

"You then my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus"

Growing: Sanctifying Grace

2 Thessalonians 2:13

"Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Grace, grace, God’s grace,

Grace that will pardon and cleanse within

Grace, grace, God’s grace,

Grace that is greater than all our sin

The gospel is all we need.